Emergency Couple: Episode 21 (Final)

Lots of nice tidy little bows are wrapped up in this finale, even if some of those endings are just promises for the future. There’s nothing surprising or unexpected in this final episode, but it goes out with all of our characters having grown as people and feeling optimistic about their futures, whether in work or in love.

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Chun-soo watches as Chang-min and Jin-hee step off the bus and kiss, right in his line of sight. He tries to keep his poker face, but fails as he turns to walk away.

After their date Chang-min and Jin-hee exchange cutesy goodnight texts: “Dream of me.” “No, then I’ll miss you.” Jin-hee sees that she missed a call from Chun-soo earlier in the evening.

Young-ae is at work the next day staring at a Request for Divorce form when Jin-hee finds her looking obviously upset. She tells Jin-hee that she and her husband aren’t on the same page these days – he only thinks of himself and what he wants. Jin-hee invites her for a woman-to-woman talk.

Sang-hyuk is talking with Yong-gyu about the same thing, because apparently “hurting for a few days” is now grounds for divorce? Yong-gyu urges him to think about it some more.

The ER Director comes to talk with Chun-soo in his office. He mentions Ji-hye’s going back to the States, saying that the decision came from higher up than him, though this hardly seems to comfort Chun-soo.

Jin-hee shows Chang-min an ultrasound of an unborn baby, cooing over how cute it is. Chang-min is more interested in how cute Jin-hee is, and asks her if Baby Guk isn’t enough for her. He playfully offers to make one for her too, which causes the nurses to cough and Jin-hee to yank him out of the room for a chat.

She fusses at him in the hallway not to say that sort of thing in front of people, and he laughingly agrees not to do it again. They run into Chun-soo who calls them into his office. There’s a rural hospital that’s in an area where other hospitals are closing, and they need some help in the ER – he would like for them to go and work there for a week.

After they agree and Chang-min leaves, Jin-hee stays to apologize for missing Chun-soo’s call the night before and asks why he called. He pretends that it was nothing and that he handled whatever-it-was himself.

A patient is wheeled into the ER after getting drunk and falling down some stairs. Chun-soo declares that the patient needs immediate surgery and asks a nurse to notify Professor Ahn. He’s called to another patient and orders Jin-hee to assist Professor Ahn with the surgery when he arrives.

Of course, being the lovely human being that he is, Ahn refuses to do surgery on a patient with no guardian (the patient appears to be homeless). Jin-hee goes to tell Chun-soo while Chang-min tries to convince Ahn to do the surgery, and the four of them face off.

Ahn insists that the surgery is too dangerous and they could be in trouble if something happens, but Chun-soo argues that they should save the patient first and worry about possible legal repercussions later. Ahn just leaves (how did this guy even get to be a doctor, much less one with authority?) so Chun-soo offers to be the patient’s guardian.

Chun-soo goes back to his office and calls Ji-hye while she’s out running errands to prepare for her family’s visit. She can tell that something’s bothering him, but he just says that there’s a big empty Ji-hye-shaped hole at the hospital. Pretty sure that’s Chun-soo-speak for “I miss you.”

A woman runs into the ER looking for her father. It’s the fall patient’s daughter, and she storms in to scream at Chun-soo that it’s his fault that her father is in bad condition because his surgery was delayed. Chang-min jumps to Chun-soo’s defense for agreeing to be the guardian so the man could have the surgery. She demands to know: Who delayed the surgery?

Professor Ahn of course doesn’t say anything, but later admits to Chun-soo that he was embarrassed. Chun-soo agrees not to make a big deal of this, if Ahn will allow Ji-hye to quit on her own (as opposed to being forced out) and let her to come back whenever she wants.

Chun-soo finds Ji-hye shopping, and requests that she make him bean stew. She promises to make him great food from a mother’s hands, but he says that to him they’re a talented surgeon’s hands. They shop together like an old married couple, and while she cooks dinner he cleans to get ready for her daughter’s visit. It’s very domestic and sweet.

Chang-min and Jin-hee share a meal and discuss the difficulties of the new ER where they’re working temporarily. Apparently the doctors there make Chun-soo (the Devil) look like a cream puff.

Later they bike back, and come across a group of people frantically milling around someone on the ground. The man is unconscious with a bad head wound and a bleeding leg injury, and Chang-min and Jin-hee go into action. Their teamwork is impressive as they perform triage surgery on a bleeding artery right there on the pier.

Chang-min’s mother calls Jin-hee’s mother to lunch to discuss the past hurts she’s caused Jin-hee. Jin-hee’s mom says that she’s had a heavy heart since Chang-min’s father’s funeral, having been through the loss of a spouse herself and knowing what it’s like. They both agree that marriage is hard enough without outside pressure, and that if the kids want to try it again they’ll leave them be.

Chang-min and Jin-hee have dinner and talk about how things must be going at the Seoul hospital in their absence. Jin-hee wonders if Ji-hye will really go back to the States, and tells Chang-min about her discovery that she and Chun-soo used to date.

Jin-hee comments that being in this little town feels a bit like a honeymoon, and they joke about whether or not they’ll invite the other on their second honeymoons.

Inside after dinner, Jin-hee gives Chang-min a backhug and says that being together again is fun, but thinking about marriage again is scary. Chang-min assures her that there’s no rush: marriage is not a finish line, and it’s been hard enough for her to get this far so she should just enjoy life. She teases that if she takes her time he’ll just marry someone else, and he kisses and hugs her.

Ji-hye meets her parents and daughter at the airport, and Chun-soo surprises them by showing up and offering her parents a ride home. He meets Ji-hye’s daughter Ji-min for the first time, and they seem to take to each other.

In Ji-hye’s car, her daughter immediately asks who that ajusshi is and if her mom likes him and whether they’ve kissed. She’s clearly her mother’s daughter with that direct no-nonsense manner. Ji-hye tells her that they’re just good friends.

Ah-reum brings food to the club, where Yong-gyu has been helping out Jin-ae’s band during rehearsals. He admits that he’s tired but that pursuing music makes him happy. Ah-reum asks when Yong-gyu will be finished for the night, and when asked why she wants to know, boldly admits that she’s asking him on a date. Yong-gyu is rendered adorably speechless.

At the hospital, Jin-hee calls Chun-soo to ask about a patient at her temp hospital who was sent home with gastroenteritis but she suspects may actually have appendicitis. Given the child’s young age, Chun-soo says that it’s highly likely it’s a perforated appendix and advises Jin-hee to get the patient back to the hospital for more testing. Chun-soo reminds Jin-hee to talk to her superiors before acting.

Chun-soo’s phone rings again, and this time it’s Chang-min with a question…about the same patient. Chun-soo grouches that he already told Jin-hee what to do and why is everyone calling him when they have professors there to ask? The residents overhear the call and laugh that his interns must be anxious to be separated from Chun-soo, and suggest that he make a trip to the rural hospital on his day off.

Ji-hye and Ji-min pick up Chun-soo after his shift to take him out to dinner, and it’s so cute how charmed Chun-soo is by the tiny little outspoken Ji-hye clone. Dinner was Ji-min’s idea, being curious about her mom’s “friend,” and she’s not at all shy about asking the “bearded ajusshi” personal questions and instructing him to treat her mom well. He agrees with a pinky swear.

Ah-reum and Yong-gyu sit in a park and Ah-reum pouts that he let Kwang-soo eat all the food she brought without having any himself. She accuses him of being too selfless, but he counters that he doesn’t give up the things he really wants, such as the person he loves. This time she doesn’t stop him to tell him she just wants to be friends. Dude, green light!

Ah-reum shares her earbuds to play a song for him, and Yong-gyu steels himself and takes her hand, then goes in for a kiss on the cheek. Cute. She puts her head on his shoulder and they watch the lights on the river.

In his hotel room, Chang-min sends Jin-hee a text and sees that she read it but she doesn’t answer. He knocks on her patio door, worried that she’s angry at him. She flings open the curtains and flashes her bathrobe to show him the very slinky teddy she has on.

She asks how she looks but he claims that he didn’t see it and asks her very politely to show him again. Ha! She closes the curtains in his face, but then flashes them open again to show him tantalizing peeks of the teddy. She strikes a number of sexy poses until the poor man is literally begging and scratching at the glass when she closes the curtains again. And then she just leaves him like that? Cruel woman!

Chun-soo and Ji-hye drive to the other hospital to see how the interns are faring. The four of them sit down to dinner (that Chang-min brags about cooking mostly himself) and Chun-soo honestly says that Ji-hye’s cooking is better. Chang-min asks if she’s really going back to the States, and Jin-hee says that she wishes she’d learned more from her while she was here.

After dinner, Chun-soo says that the hospital has been nice while Chang-min and Jin-hee have been gone because he hasn’t had to worry about them. Ji-hye asks them what specialty they want to go into and they both say emergency medicine. Ji-hye teases Chun-soo that he’s stuck with them, and that it’s his fault for being such a good teacher.

Ji-hye pulls Chang-min aside, and asks him to help Chun-soo as much as he can when she’s gone. She says that seeing him and Jin-hee together reminds her of herself and Chun-soo as interns, and asks if they’ll get married. Chang-min says he isn’t sure, because things are good the way they are now.

Chun-soo and Jin-hee sit outside and she small-talks that it will be busier at the hospital after Ji-hye leaves. Chun-soo brings up that time he called her at night, and finally admits that he had wanted to see her. He says that he meant to thank her for his feelings for her because now he knows he’s capable of giving his heart to someone, and can imagine himself even getting married someday. He’s so sweetly awkward I just want to snuggle him.

Jin-hee says that she hopes that he becomes even happier in the future, and Chun-soo lets out this great big relieved sigh that he’s finally said what he needed to say. Jin-hee tells him that she’s happy to have met someone she likes and respects as much as Chun-soo and that she’s sure Chang-min feels the same way.

Chang-min and Ji-hye come back out, and joke-worry that the air between Jin-hee and Chun-soo is still weird and that they’re jealous. They try to sneak up behind them to eavesdrop but the two are instantly onto them. Jin-hee loudly calls Chang-min a jealous child, and Chun-soo says that Ji-hye should meet a man, which causes her to blow their cover to protest.

Soon enough, the Oh doctors are back at their own hospital and it’s obvious the staff honestly missed them. The married couple tells them that they decided to stay married for now, and Ah-reum breaks the news that Yong-gyu quit medicine to study music abroad.

Chun-soo receives a postcard from his father in response to the letter he sent – he’s in a foreign country photographing children with no parents. Chun-soo lets his tears fall as he reads his father’s admission that this makes him feel a lot of regret. He mentions that places like the village he’s in are desperate for good doctors like Chun-soo.

Chun-soo runs to the airport, and finds Ji-hye with her daughter and parents. She asks if something happened, but Chun-soo just tells her, “Have a good trip. And come back, whenever you want. You have to.”

Jin-hee and Chang-min cross paths in the stairwell in front of the kitten wall on their way to different departments. Chang-min grabs her for a good hearty kiss, but then they’re both paged to a multi-patient emergency in the ER.

We get a slow-motion shot of Jin-hee standing in the ER watching the chaos all around her, and a voiceover by both her and Chang-min describing the ER as a battlefield where life and death intersect multiple times a day. They call it a place where people do their utmost towards the goal of saving lives, where miracles happen.

Jin-hee: A perfect life doesn’t exist. As you live, unexpected accidents happen and irreversible mistakes are made.Chang-min: But every time we fall and get hurt in life, we always discover the confidence to change.Jin-hee: We realize other people’s pains…Chang-min: Or we realize ourselves maturing.Jin-hee: Could that not be where love starts? So, even if we make mistakes and fail again, we will continue to grow and challenge ourselves.

Chang-min spots Jin-hee watching the activity around her, and he stops to look at her. She runs towards him, and they head off to the ambulance and take charge of a patient together, finally an equal team.

COMMENTS

Well, it’s a cute, satisfying ending for a cute, satisfying show. I know a lot of us were hoping for more – more depth maybe, or more realism – but in the end we got what we came here for: a sweet story about two people rediscovering love a second time around.

The big emotional moment in this episode was Chun-soo’s late confession to Jin-hee. He wasn’t at all intending to change anything, or make her feel bad about her choice. He just wanted her to know how he felt, and to tell her that he discovered something about himself because of his feelings for her. I truly believe that out of all of our characters, Chun-soo is the one who changed the most even though outwardly he’s still the same old grumpy-gus doctor we first met. Learning to open your heart to another person when you’ve been closed off for most of your life is no small thing. Even if the relationship doesn’t last, or never even gets off the ground, I think we all hold a special place in our hearts for the first person who showed us how to love.

I do admit some frustration with the character trajectories of many of our other characters. Chang-min and Jin-hee for example; both of them seemed to have good, valid reasons for eventually deciding to give their relationship another try, but I never felt like they had a good reason to start, if that makes sense. It’s like one day Chang-min just decided he wanted Jin-hee back, with no compelling reason given other than that another man showed a little interest. Jin-hee at least had Chang-min’s father’s death to make her realize that she still cared for him and losing a loved one is a serious thing, but I wish Chang-min had been given a sufficiently compelling reason to want her back besides “that’s MY woman” jealousy.

I do appreciate that after they decided to try again, they genuinely seemed to have changed for the better. I believe that Chang-min now sees Jin-hee as an equal, in work and in life, and that he won’t shove her feelings and opinions to the back burner in the future. I also believe that, even if he tried, Jin-hee is no longer the doormat that she was when they were married and would never stand for it. I’m satisfied that they changed enough as people, and in the right ways, to make a second go at it successful. So in that sense at least, I give the writer props for giving our romantic leads the maturity they’ll need moving forward. It was nice to watch a drama where the characters truly did change for the better.

I felt as though the rest of the side characters were treated very abruptly here at the end. One minute we see Yong-gyu on a date with Ah-reum getting up the nerve to kiss her, then a few days later he’s quit his job and moved to a different country? Considering that the time logistics are extremely unlikely, that he supposedly made this whole entire life change while Chang-min and Jin-hee were gone for one week, it just seems like the writer suddenly decided, “I need one character to decide not to be a doctor…where are my dice?” And what, they don’t have good music in Korea that he can study (as a kpop fan, I KNOW that’s not true)? And why did they spend 20 freaking episodes on his heartbreak over Ah-reum, then when she finally becomes interested, he up and leaves? I just don’t understand what the point was supposed to be.

And the married couple…again, I’m failing to see what purpose they served other than to be mildly annoying and have the opposite relationship to whatever Chang-min and Jin-hee’s relationship was doing at the time. When the main couple hated each other, everything was happiness and rainbows in Newlywedville. When the main couple were happy together, the married couple was getting divorced, because one argument is totally grounds for divorce I guess. If they served any purpose in the story, I have yet to figure it out. Not that characters-as-filler is a bad thing when done right, but at least make them interesting, huh?

Like Ji-hye: now there’s a second lead I can get behind. She was never jealous, never nasty to the leading lady, and actually had the best interests of the man she loved at heart. If he wanted another woman then dammit, she was going to help him get what he wanted. I think Ji-hye is probably one of my favorite second leads of all time, in the sense that she didn’t have unrealistic expectations of getting her man at any cost. If she lost him then so be it, as long as he was happy. Dramaland could use a few more outstanding characters like her!

For the most part, I found Emergency Couple to be a sweet, if technically flawed story, and I’ve enjoyed it very much. There was lots of funny, lots of cute, and the characters were mostly engaging and interesting to watch. I cared about Jin-hee and Chang-min, and Ji-hye and Chun-soo, and I’m happy that they all found a way to face the future with love and humor.

April 7, 2014 at 1:05 PM

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Even with all the cute stuff, I still cannot buy into them getting back together. I just never got to the point where I saw any good reason for them to do so. If there were any sparks, they were pretty tiny.

April 7, 2014 at 12:23 PM

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I am totally biased, but one of the reasons I picked up this drama was because of Choi Hin-hyuk, though I can't say I am that in love with the Chang-min character until he poured his heart out in that very raw rendition.

"now this is what I call a man! The body, the face, The VOICE and the acting shops to go with it. "

YES! This one (in my books at least) is *THE VOICE!* The special one, with the silvery bass timbres- be it his speaking or singing. (love his singing of the theme song, it's so heartfelt full of raw emotions).

Back in the days bygone when my cyber-chingus were raving about who they called"THE VOICE"(Lee Sun-kyung) ... I was like: "what's the big deal, so he has a deep voice, but so do many ajjushis out there".

Choi Jin-hyuk has that rare silver timbre, along with the deep. Now, that is special.

April 7, 2014 at 4:50 AM

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The finals are fluffy and illogical, but cute cute cute, I can live with that. Really appreciates the recaps by all the new recappers *bow*. Would really love a whole new story about Chief & Ji Hye though...

April 7, 2014 at 5:03 AM

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MANY THANKS for all the recaps!

Enjoyed your insightful summary - yes, needed more depth, and what propelled Chang-min to even start ---> that (WTF?!) decision to go abroad from Yong-gyu really came out of bizarre, illogical nowhere.

Also nodding along to the commenters so far ... afterall the back and forth, I didn't really find ep 20 and 21 very satisfying, even if they tried to tie everything in a neat bow.

I needed more too. It's like we were promised a 3 course meal, and were given a sandwich instead.
And where was that saving-grace Baby Gook in ep 21?

April 7, 2014 at 5:03 AM

I've read the previous recaps' comments while watching the show and I know that some or several of the viewers were disappointed to the flow of the love story of Jin Hee and Changmin.

From my perspective, we should have known from the beginning that Changmin and Jinhee will definitely end up together. To those who were arguing that it was abrupt for Changmin to like or even love Jinhee again, in my opinion, it wasn't that out of the blue. I believe that when the two lead separated and then eventually reunited, the feelings were "continued" from the divorce, rather than starting all over from scratch.

I also believe that Jinhee and Chunsoo loveline were made to just develop their maturity as a character and never meant to be a real couple.

With that, I really love the show. Of course, it is flawed but I got what I was hoping for from the beginning of the show. The chemistry was good for me and really great perfomance from Choi Jinhyuk.

April 7, 2014 at 8:59 AM

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I totally agree with your comments. I felt the same way. I came for a rom-com and it was for most part and may be it wasn't that realistic for a divorce couple to get back together that easily...etc but if it was about divorce and realism, I probably wouldn't have watched it, because for me I watch rom coms for entertainment and light hearted stories to tune out real life drama. I like the optimism of this show, seeing new beginning with old feelings that were dormant coming back alive...and I was never in the Chief and Jin Hee ship because I am a huge fan of Choi Jin Hyuk and he is the reason why I watch the show and I wanted him to finally end up with the girl and have a happy ending. I re-watched the episode 1 and realized, the whole narration in the beginning and the song really gave why this show will end up the way it would... I LOVED the ending , show delivered what it promised.

April 7, 2014 at 5:04 AM

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Tbh i was disappointed in this drama. I wanted this drama to work and be entertaining. I find that there isnt much chatacter development for the main leads. Like what you've mentioned, i felt like they got personality transplant halfway through the drama. Acting wise, i wish sjh could do better :( I loved her in rm!

April 7, 2014 at 5:25 AM

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I did feel the ending was just a little twee, but I didn't care so much about the side characters. How could I even notice them with Choi Jin Hyuk and Lee Pil Mo onscreen. I am totally IN LOVE. I haven't watched a drama with any of the leads before, I found them all to be compelling actors. With just the right amount of seriousness/comedy in the writing, I thoroughly enjoyed my Fri./Sat. nights. I hope this drama leads to more good roles for these fine actors!! And more gratuitous shirtless scenes for CJH, goodness gracious....

April 7, 2014 at 5:28 AM

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Thank you so much the finale recap is written by Lollypip. I feel we have same sentiment toward this drama
I really love this drama, not technical flawless of course, it sweet and satisfying my drama feels
And the finale...Oh couple...gawd so many crazy scenes I love it. All of the couple have promising future
Btw, what is slinky teddy?

April 7, 2014 at 5:49 AM

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The best point in the last episode was that it did not have a wedding scene. While I understand that OCM and OJH are in a relationship, I still see them in their honeymoon phase. Even if they have matured, I can't envision them as a married couple. Getting married would bring up lots of complexities in life.

Maybe I'm the only one, but I would like to imagine them breaking up on good terms and meeting other people. I completely agree with you LollyPip. Even after watching the fluff, I am still not sure if they can successfully maintain a long-term relationship.

I like Ji-Hye and Ah-Reum a lot. I need more of such female second leads now.

April 7, 2014 at 6:24 AM

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I found myself rooting for the secondary couple (Chun-soo and Ji-hye) towards the middle of the show. Completely agree that Ji-hye's definitely one of the best second leads, one of the rare few without the "YOU STOLE MY MAN (that I'd never had in the first place), IMMA STAB YOU IN THE BACK YOU BIATCH) syndrome. Yay.

And WTF for Yong-gyu?! Show, you're really something. You make a man pine over a girl for 21 episodes, and now that he finally gets her, he jets of like a million miles away. PURE. UTTER. GENIUS. (Sense the sarcasm there)

Back to Ji-hye and Chun-soo. WHY DIDN'T THEY END UP TOGETHER T_T That was NOT satisfying in the least. I get that they remained an ambiguous couple from the very beginning to the very end... But come on. Give the dog a bone. Especially after you've been dangling it in his face for 21 episodes.

April 8, 2014 at 11:31 PM

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I had a hard time rooting for Ji-hye & Chun-soo only because I have this obsession where if the girl I like will not be with the guy I like, nobody's good enough for them, when in fact, Ji-hye & Chun-soo are both awesome, mature people who really deserve each other.

However, as one other bean pointed out in a previous recap, Chun-soo shouldn't get together with Ji-hye because she'll be just a second option. Now, if the story were forwarded to a couple of years in the future, then it might be more fitting. She's too good to be anyone's fallback girl.

April 7, 2014 at 6:24 AM

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Overall, I found this drama satisfying. It's true the show failed to show us what Jin Hee and Chang Min found so compelling about one another so as to have gotten married in the first place, but I think of it as a minor discrepancy in the grand scheme of things. What becomes evident very early on is that they both still have very strong feelings for one another five years after their divorce; feelings of rage, disdain, and contempt, to be sure, but the old saying that there's a thin line between love and hate was, I think, well demonstrated by our emergency couple. In many ways, only someone in whom one was deeply invested has the power to evoke such strong feelings years later. Unresolved pain arises because that person still very much matters.

I think the writers showed CM and JH confronting this reality in various ways, and realizing too, that beneath all the still extant pain and anger, the love they had was still there also. But, they were both very different people now, especially Jin Hee, and had grown and matured. I love that they were able to get real with one another, and with themselves as well. That's the only way they could possibly start over with any chance of doing it right a second time around.

Unlike some people, I was never able to picture Jin Hee with Chung Soo. He was simply too emotionally stymied and closed off to begin a healthy relationship. and He still had a lot of healing yet to do at the end of the story. Ji Hye was too good for him still, being as she was much more mature, and with a much higher emotional IQ.

I was really impressed with the turnaround made by CM's mother. And it was a credible one, given the soul searching she was forced to engage in after the death of her husband. I thought the actress who played her did an extremely good job of portraying the grief and sense of loss she felt. How very cool it was that she reached out to both Jin Hee and her mother, after all the condescension and venom she'd dished out to them over the years. It might arguably be said that her character experienced the the greatest growth arc.

April 8, 2014 at 3:39 PM

April 7, 2014 at 6:46 AM

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Thanks for the great recaps. So sad this wonderful drama is over.

Regarding Chang Min and Jin-hee's relationship starting up again. I believe he did start caring for her again for good reasons...He was slowly coming to see that she wasn't such a bad person his mother made her out to be. That she was kind to the patients, never gave up when she was working, cared deeply for his father and never told anyone what he did for her, and that she had more drive and smarts than he ever saw in her before. I think he developed more respect for her this way and in that turn it made him rethink how he saw her as a person. His mother drove it in to him that she was dirt, and I think he realized that he let a good girl go, for nothing.
If they had gotten married or engaged it would've seemed super forced and fake. If the chief had gotten together with Ji-Hye right then it would've seem forced and fake also, so I think they wrapped things up nicely for all of their futures.

Just my opinion... :)

I'm sad to see Yong-Gyu leave the country (?)...like you said he was pining for her all season and then he up and leaves. That was just odd and made no sense. Are we to think Ah-Reum and he are together or did he just leave that relationship to study music...????

Even though it wasn't a deep drama, it sure did grab your heart in many ways. I guess the lesson is to give people second chances and not to rule out love.....I'm going to miss not seeing new episodes. Guess I'll have to watch it again! :)

April 7, 2014 at 8:26 AM

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(1) Loving your insights on Chang-min's dawning awareness. That's how I feel too, though the show did little to promote it.

Like you, I am not for them getting engaged or married either, and thankfully the show didn't go there - they should just "take it slowly" like Chang-min said, have more sleepovers together, build up better communication and understanding before even venturing there. I just wish we saw more their 'dates'.

While I liked their spontaneous stairway kiss ... I did not enjoy the comedic clawing at the beach house after the lingerie scene. Can't put my finger on it, but it probably has to do with the flow of things, and the build up in this drama.

(2) When Chang-min said "should I make you one (a baby)?" I was like NOOOO!!! .... imagine the immediate stress and challenges again. The Baby Gook stay was just one day for them to play parents, if this were their baby --- again it would boil down to sacrifices and possible resentment.

If they need to play parents - then keep borrowing nephew Baby Gook please!

(3) I am also in the thank God they did NOT force Chief Gook and Ji Hye into a neat relationship right away.

That would NOT have been fair to either - him still tender from a healing bruised heart ... and for her.

It was enough to show him being way more proactive, and we already know Chief and Ji-hye are very comfortable together. Thankfully the writer at least did successfully establish that --- so it wasn't entirely WTF- weird to see Chief shopping for groceries or vacuuming her house.

At least this wasn't cheesy or forced --- it seemed like a natural progression, and acceptable. Even his getting along with her child seemed very natural.

(3) I am deluding myself Yong-gyu left for a short stint to further his understanding of music ... like 6 mths or something. Bec he was also with Jin-ae and Gwang-soo ... so hopefully he will be back? His relationship with Ah-reum is too new for it to last out 3 yrs. while he's abroad.

Realistically, their relationship would have challenges anyway = Ah Reum is hot desirable material (pretty, doctor, prestigious and rich family) the other chaebol families would be fighting over .... and now this choice of hers is not even a doctor, but a new musician?

April 7, 2014 at 7:20 AM

April 7, 2014 at 7:22 AM

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thank god for the cute cute and satisfying ending...that's all i need~ now i can sleep with ease..and the bloopers ant the end is just hilarious..they all really have great chemistry XD
really love SJH and CJH acting..i hope they get a new drama soon...and i need to see SJH in some badass drama (like jackal is coming) although its a movie...she can really kick ass.. that would be awesome!!!

April 7, 2014 at 7:23 AM

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Loved this drama so much! Very satisfying ending. I prefer everything is open-ended, which leaves a lot of promise and hope for the future

Just wanted to point out that Chang Min didn't fall in love with Jin Hee randomly or out of jealously. It's through working with her in the ER that he began to see her as an equal instead of looking down on her as usual. He began to realize her good qualities as a doctor and a person, which led him to remember the good times.

Also future tip: As a recapper, for an ending episode, I think you should have a small series review in the comments section. I was slightly disappointed to only see one paragraph talking about the drama as a whole.

April 7, 2014 at 7:52 AM

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I think the whole comments sections was about the drama as a whole; it discusses character trajectories and narrative arcs and how those played out over the entire 21 episodes. To my mind it was a series review. The only thing that I found missing was that is didn't mention the adorable and scene-stealing Baby Gookie!

April 7, 2014 at 8:32 AM

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Ha, I was just teasing, LollyPip, but thanks for the reply. And thanks to both you and slappyunni for your recaps over the past couple of months. I've really enjoyed them! Hope to see more from you both on the site in the future.

April 7, 2014 at 7:49 AM

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the ending was quite satisfying. well, personally i do want to know about their 5 years etc later. it does not really giving the closure of the drama. i feels like something is missing from the ending. overall, what i can say is i want to know in details what happen to them within 2 or 3 years etc. just my personal view :)

April 7, 2014 at 8:26 AM

It was a fun watch on Friday & Saturday for the past four (4) months. The highlight for me was Choi Jin-Hyuk and Baby Gook. They always brought something extra in their scenes - an innate ability to be present fully in each moment. Both possess an intangible X factor and definitely an undeniable screen presence.

As a second lead and character, Sim Ji-Hye was refreshing, much needed, a welcomed addition. I totally agree with your assessment:

"Ji-hye: now there’s a second lead I can get behind. She was never jealous, never nasty to the leading lady, and actually had the best interests of the man she loved at heart."

Lee Pil-Mo definitely stood out as Kook Cheon-Soo. His character was a nice contrast to the rest of the main characters. Again I concur with your viewpoint:

"I truly believe that out of all of our characters, Chun-soo is the one who changed the most even though outwardly he’s still the same old grumpy-gus doctor we first met."

Oh Jin-Ae and Kim Gwang-Soo as characters, as a couple, and their interactions in the drama was an added bonus.

It was nice to see Park Jun-Keum as Yoon Sung-Sook not just end up playing the stereotypical bitchy disapproving and interfering Ex Mother-In-Law to having a character arc that allowed her to grow and have to eat her words and apologize for her actions in the end.

Disappointed with the quick send-off that was dealt to Im Yong-Kyu's character by the writer Choi Yoon-Jung. Especially since Han A-Reum was befriending Yong-Kyu more and opening her heart to him.

EC had both comedy and melodrama and for the most part it was balanced. Oh Chang-Min, Oh Jin-Hee, and Yoon Sung-Sook needed to wander through the various stages of sadness and grief, as well as explore the aftermath and impact of Oh Tae-Seok's death.

Overall the positives (actors/characters) outweigh the negatives (weakness in some of the writing) for this drama.

April 7, 2014 at 8:33 AM

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Thank you for all your hard work!

I'm really glad you mentioned the lines between Ji-Hye and Chun-soo in the grocery store.

She says that she'd use her hands-of-a-mother to cook, focusing on her role as a mom, which is really common especially in my area. I live in a really residential part on the edge of Seoul and I don't want to speak for all of Korea or anything, but a mom's role is highly emphasized even when she's doing other stuff (I work with loads of other moms who, hilariously, advise me against getting married).

I'm so used to that common theme in dialog that, now, I don't think of it much when it would have sounded out of place to me in the States. Then, he countered with THAT LINE and I was just in love.

He's actually considering her years of training, education, and professional prowess.

April 7, 2014 at 8:57 AM

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I think the show did give us a good reason Chang-Min wanted Jin-Hee back. I think it was around the 5th or 6th episode, when we begin to see Jin-Hee really come into her own in the ER. It is clear that patients like her, she's competent, fearless and an overall good doctor. His respect for her is what led him to start wanting her again. As opposed to when they were married before and she seemed pitiful all of the time. He saw her in a different light now and really respected her as an equal.

Also, I think it was for them not put her with Chief Soo. That would've been predictable and easy in my opinion. I believe the Chief's desire for her is what made Chang-Min realize that his respect had turned into likeness. He saw her as a woman again. That mixed with the newfound respect is why he was so possessive of her. And ultimately why he got another chance with her. Jin-Hee put herself out there for the Chief and he was too afraid to take the bait. In the end, he didn't deserve her or Ji-Hye. He needed to deal with his own demons first, just like Ji-Hye said. But I didn't need another three or four episodes to give some drawn out explanation for Chang-Min liking Jin-Hee again. It was obvious.

April 7, 2014 at 10:20 AM

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i think my favourite part was when time kind of stopped for jin hee as she observed. i think that was a very emotional moment for me because it made me remember that before all this romance thing went crazy, it was also a show with a lot of heart - with characters that were pretty special and a big part of me will miss this show a lot. this is the first time i have stuck around and actually commented on a recap on a regular basis so it was really nice to see comments from users who i became quite used to seeing here. i hope that i see you guys on other posts too. thanks for the reviews and for the fellow readers for always making things interesting in the comments section. see you around :)

April 7, 2014 at 11:44 AM

April 7, 2014 at 12:06 PM

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I loved the show despite its flaws, which were many, I'll give you that, I can't disagree with any of the complains, yet I loved it, is like every complain is acceptable to me, perhaps I was blinded by Choi Jin Hyuk.

I do believe we went to secondary lead heaven with this drama, I did not find any of the annoying secondary lead characteristics with any of them.

I will certainly miss this show, and now I need to find a new one to obsess over with, I mean, I even started to comment on recaps due to this show. :D

April 7, 2014 at 12:28 PM

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Hair-o-meter. The trait that was the greatest indicator of a character's mental state was Chang Min's mother's hair. Wild and outlandish = out of control woman. Smooth and clam = clam(er) personality (when whack mom reflected on her treatment of Jin Hee and confessed to Jin Hee's mother and came to her senses).

I loved the interactions between Chun Soo and Ji Hye throughout the drama, how they changed, and how he made sure that she knew he would keep her in his heart for when they met again.

To my own surprise, Clara gets a thumbs up from me for her acting. This was a fun rom com, just what the (ER) doctor ordered.

April 7, 2014 at 3:43 PM

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Thanks for the recaps. I marathoned this drama 2 days before the two finales aired. And the recaps really helped fill in the gaps where I fast forwarded to get to a more relevant scene (so I missed a bit of the side characters' stories). I do have one comment to make about your assertion:

"It’s like one day Chang-min just decided he wanted Jin-hee back, with no compelling reason given other than that another man showed a little interest."

The thing is, I think Chang-min always loved Jin-hee. I get that specifically in the scene where they were eating and she asked him if he had been with any other women, and his response was that it took him a while to "get over" her and that he was too focused on school. Pretty incredible as you mentioned in that recap for that episode.. 6 years of celibacy! The problem with Chang-min was that he was just straight up arrogant to begin with (remember the speech he gave the priest?) and of course, his mom hated Jin-hee (which in turn poisoned his view of her). And so I really think that the turning points for Chang-min were when he couldn't perform the Tracheotomy and when his mom went into heart failure. Both events served to correct these two problems. It put his arrogance in check, and showed him that Jin-hee really is a much more capable person that he had previously thought.

April 7, 2014 at 4:31 PM

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I seriously love Changmin's "Should I make one for you?" line. Yes, please :P
And Chief Gook’s deer-in-headlights expression!
I do wish we can see Lee Pilmo in a lead role soon!
So many things I’ll miss about this drama! Baby Guk included! Love his outtakes in the NG scenes.

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE (!!!) how Lee Pilmo hugs Song Jihyo in that NG scene after she bursts into laughter =D Thank you PD-nim for giving Chief Gook-Jinhee 'shippers a squee moment!!! Nice to see the actors looking close.

April 7, 2014 at 7:11 PM

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The one-episode extension appears to allow the writer to tie up everything nicely and add more sweet moments for the OTP to spoil us shippers.

I'm thrilled the writer included the peace-making scene between the two mums, although my wish is for them to become friends (I'm asking too much aye?). No-longer-evil mum is actually quite pretty for a middle age woman. Lol.

I think the reason Yong Gyu went overseas is to hint that his family's background is probably at least upper-middle (so he can afford to give up medicine AND study music overseas no less), plus being an overseas educated musician sounds more high class? Thus bridging the gap with Ah Reum's family? This couple looks like the marathon-type that can afford and sustain a long distance r/ship.

The writer didn't foresake Chief too. Jin Hee made him realise his ability to commit to love (nice touch that Jin Hee is seen as the tool here, instead of Chief being the "dumped" sad puppy); his childhood baggage has been off-loaded by dad's postcard, and so he races to tell Ji Hye she MUST come back... in her timing (he'll be waiting)... Isn't it great he doesn't have to say much and Ji Hye totally gets it? THIS is a match made in heaven.

I couldn't stop laughing at the part where Jin Hee was tantalizing Chang Min. His popping-eyes and desparate scratching like a puppy and eventual sprawling on the glass was truely comedic. It's great they decided to take their time wrt marriage and to just live beautifully and diligently for now, enjoying each other's company. This couple is completely committed to loving each other and doesn't need marriage to prove it.

Enjoyable and entertaining drama for me. Thank you cast and crew of Emergency Man and Woman! Mani-saranghae!

April 7, 2014 at 8:23 PM

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Oh huhu, this is the most intense second-lead syndrome I've ever had. In most cases, I can have a mindset to shift to the leading man, then so be it. But Gook Chun-soo, you had me with your sinking ship. :-) I love you!

April 7, 2014 at 8:40 PM

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Thanks for the recap.

This and the last episode played like a collection of random leftover scenes that lacked coherence and through-line. It felt like the writer abandoned the project and asked the gaffer's assistant to finish the story.

April 7, 2014 at 10:57 PM

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Thank you for the recap.

I'm so pleased with the ending, mostly because it is not the kind of first-leads-kiss-and-finally-gets-happily-ever-after-so-do-the-second-leads-(with one another)ending, but a kind of all of the characters-moving-towards-maturity-ending.

April 8, 2014 at 12:21 AM

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Honestly, this drama severely disappointed me. Maybe it was cause I had such high hopes for it. Good premise, amazing cast, and funny situations. The ending was just too....bleh. It felt like towards the end, the writers realized the story was going along too slowly so they suddenly had Jin Hee fall back in love with Chang Min, totally forgetting that she just spent a whole day with Chief Gook, and the ending is everyone is happy and paired off.

The potential this drama had just did not live up to the actual episodes, in my opinion. I thought it would be good for Jin Hee and Chief to have at least one date together and realize that while they might have feelings for one another, it wasn't enough to start a relationship. That would be a better resolution then the sudden fizzle they experienced when the writers remembered that Chang Min was the main lead.

April 8, 2014 at 12:31 AM

April 8, 2014 at 7:51 AM

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So glad you recapped this drama! It was not an award winning piece of work, no Oscar worthy performances, but it did do what it set out to do. It was a light, cute, rom-com, dad's death aside. I thought the OTP were adorable, just flat out adorable.

I want to commend the writer for NOT effing up the last episode. I was so afraid to watch it because past experience has shown me that a writer could throw a wobbly and sent the OTP in two different directions. Not cool, by the way.

The writer held true to the original plan. In the character descriptions Flower Boy Doctor (Yong-kyu) was scheduled to question his career path. He was, also, to fall in love with Jin Hee, glad that his love line was changed to Ah-reum. That change made for a sweeter story all around. So the writer did not completely follow the original plan...revising as I write.

Good Job Writer! Not award winning but not a bitter pill either. Re-watchable.

I did not expect to enjoy Song Ji-hyo's acting. I have nothing against her, okay I watched two episodes of that show with Wook and that experience did color everything. But I am now a fan of her's.

Choi Jin-hyuk~ Good job. I hope this is a sufficient calling card when he gets back from his police duty. I look forward to his future projects.

Lee Pil-mo~ Dude is cute, in a fully grown way. I must seek out and watch his work

Choi Yeo-jin~ Good night! the most beautiful woman on the set. and her second lead character was the best. I would love to have her for my wing man.

I have to wax poetic about my new hero:
Park Jun-keum~ (she and I are born in the same year)
Her physicality in this drama was note worthy. She slid down a rocky slope, she wrestled with a man on the beach, with her pitifully small fists she beat on Choi Jin-hyuk's chest and threw a full blown tantrum in his arms.
In a word
AWESOME.
and her skin...oh my gosh her beautiful skin.

Crazy blonde sister~hated her at first and her husband... grew to love them.

Baby Gooooooook! the entire show was on the verge of being derailed by his cuteness. One of my favorite scenes with him was when the mother in laws were fighting in the ER and Baby G and his daddy looked in opposite directions. The actor who played his father became so much more attractive the more time he spent on screen with Baby G. lol

April 8, 2014 at 9:19 AM

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Thanks for the recaps, LollyPip!

I'm already missing the show and the characters I've grown to love. This drama ain't perfect just like life isn't, but I really enjoyed it and is definitely one which I will remember fondly of. All those cute, sweet and funny moments coupled with some reflections of life and some quotable quips which set you thinking. Like some here, I was a silent reader and only started commenting with EC :)

As much I had previously imagined the ending for Changmin and Jinhee to marry again (I even pictured him proposing with the ring which was retrieved from the pawnshop), I couldn't be more satisfied with the ending. There's this calm yet firm assurance that this time round they are able to love well and live well together despite whatever life throws into their path. Otherwise remarrying would have felt forced. Same goes for Chun-soo and Ji-Hye. Slowly but surely you think that theyeventually will become to each other someone they cannot live without in their lives, especially now Chun-soo took such a major step forward. Ending like this feels so natural and appropriate for these four characters. Overall, it was nicely wrapped up and I love the mums' scene too!

Thank you Show for such a great time! Now, my heart feels a bit empty (Hits 'replay' button on video player)...

April 8, 2014 at 11:00 PM

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The newlywed doctors were definitely filler characters, a bit annoying and one dimensional. I guess the writer just wanted a contrasting couple to our OTP. All in all, it was an okay to good (not great) drama, neither boring nor addicting. The drama equivalent of comfort food.

April 11, 2014 at 9:40 AM

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Hand to skip through the last few episodes, as they dragged, but I'll put my last compliment in for Song Ji Hyo. One of the most beautiful, natural performances for a character of that age and circumstance I've seen in a long time. She knew exactly what she was, and was never given any fake glamor, and still earned all the attention she was getting from the men in her life.

April 14, 2014 at 3:02 PM

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I actually would've liked Ji Hye and Chief Gook to end up together. By far one of the BEST second female leads ever! She's just sooo good! She's beautiful inside and out and she's totally, totally gorgeous! She can hold her own and be independent. Although a single mum that doesn't evoke pity and I think it's VERY good that she said 'I'm a single mum. I wanted to get married and have a kid. I got the kid. I'm happy'.She always has Chief Gook's interest at heart, above her own, so tender and caring. I ship them so hard. The ending was just him asking he to come back anytime and that's it? Unsatisfied!

I hope to see her in more dramas. Sorry guys, this rant was all about the second leads! Hahaha.

Oh and I actually expected a ffwd of 5 years to show Chang Min and Jin Hee with kids. I think they were angling for it but decided that it would be too cliche.

Second-lead syndrome, much I am suffering from. Never have I ever liked the second lead more since Secret Garden. Ji Hye's just too amazing! GIVE HER HER OWN DRAMA!

April 17, 2014 at 8:48 AM

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How about season two of Emergency couple and this time I want Chief Gook and Ji hye as the lead characters. And hoping that season 2 we will have a peak at what happens to the Ohoh couple after a few years. But I think that's never going to happen because Choi jin hyuk will enlist very soon and second I don't think lee pil mo can handle a male lead role.

April 19, 2014 at 11:18 AM

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Thank you for the recap writer and the comments from everyone!

Marathoned this drama for the past 5 days. What hooked me was all the funny scenes regarding OCM and OJH awkward relationship and how they have to hide and try to work together. Then, I was thinking of which ship should i board on? OCM x OJH or GCS x OJH. The answer was the latter, haha.

I don't see how OCM and OJH will suddenly realize they still have feelings for each other and at the same time the other partner will reject their feelings.

But after reading comments and recaps, I understand the part on how he has finally see what went wrong with him (arrogance and poisoned by his mother's views on OJH) and then see a changed OJH as a women. I also understand how the relationship between OJH and GCS was made so that GCS will grow and come out of his shell.

But I would like it if they go a bit deeper into it. It was very obvious that GCS likes OJH but OJH has never talk about it or do anything about it. One moment she hugged and made GCS sleep on her shoulders. Then GCS answered to OCM that he like her in front of her. Knowing that, she does nothing because she realized she still has feelings for OCM. I mean, there should be some transition from knowing you fell in love vs knowing the love is actually a form of respect and admiration.

Ji Hye is a beautiful woman in the show. We all think that she is perfect. High IQ, high EQ, pretty, willing to help her man to love someone else etc. But we saw how she was hurt when GCS slept on her thighs. Very human of her. This made her very realistic and makes you wanna idolize her.

I hate all the long flashbacks and seemingly sloppy editing but kudos to the writer for making everything fall into place at the ending. It seems very fitting in timing, that OCM and OJH is back together but very honeymoon-ish and not rushing into marriage. And how GCS finally opens up and wants to heal to be a better man for Ji Hye.